OERs Expanding Role in Public Education – New America

 

Report on the Implementation of Open Educational Resources/Practices (OER/P) and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

1.0 Defining Open Educational Resources and Practices (OER/P)

Open Educational Resources (OER) are defined by UNESCO as “learning, teaching and research materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or are under copyright that have been released under an open license, that permit no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation and redistribution by others.” In practice, OER function like a shared online recipe, which can be used as-is or adapted, in contrast to traditional, proprietary educational materials.

Open Educational Practices (OEP) are the pedagogical approaches that utilize OER. OEP involves educators curating, adapting, and sharing these resources, and ideally includes students as co-creators of knowledge. This collaborative model is fundamental to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4): Quality Education, as it promotes inclusive and equitable access to information and fosters innovative teaching methods.

2.0 Analysis of OER/P Implementation

2.1 Successes in Adoption and Contribution to SDG 4

The adoption of OER has seen considerable success, with research from Bay View Analytics indicating that approximately one-third of teachers nationally use OER as required or supplemental materials. This success is largely attributed to the flexibility of OER, which can range from a single lesson plan to a complete curriculum.

• Alignment with SDG Target 4.1: By providing no-cost access to quality educational materials, OER directly supports the goal of ensuring that all children complete free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education.
• Alignment with SDG Target 4.3: The availability of free resources lowers barriers to technical, vocational, and tertiary education, promoting equal access for all.

Educators have access to a wide array of OER platforms and providers, including:

• Individual Resources: OER Commons, PhET Interactive Simulations, and PBLWorks.
• Full Curricula: CommonLit, Illustrative Mathematics, OpenSciEd, and Open Up Resources.

A significant success lies in the pedagogical shift facilitated by OEP, moving from content delivery to the co-construction of learning experiences. This approach empowers educators and engages students, directly supporting SDG Target 4.c by enhancing the capacity and professional autonomy of teachers.

2.2 Implementation Challenges

Despite successes, the implementation of OER/P faces significant challenges that can hinder its potential to advance educational equity.

1. Tension Between Standardization and Customization: A primary challenge is the perception that high-quality OER must be implemented as a rigid script to ensure efficacy. This view is in direct conflict with the core OEP principle of empowering teachers to make productive adaptations that meet the specific needs of their students. Overcoming this requires creating professional spaces where educators can collectively design and customize materials.
2. Mindset Shifts and Systemic Inertia: Educators and administrators often default to legacy structures and familiar strategies. Implementing OER/P effectively requires a fundamental shift in mindset away from traditional models. This challenge highlights the systemic barriers that must be dismantled to fully realize the transformative potential of OER in achieving SDG 4.

3.0 Case Study: Strategic Implementation in School Districts

3.1 Shifting Investment to Align with SDG 4

The Garnet Valley and Centennial School Districts exemplify a successful strategic pivot by shifting financial investments from proprietary textbooks to professional development for teachers. This strategy was guided by the core belief that teachers are the most valuable educational resource. By participating in initiatives like GoOpen, these districts created collaborative environments for educators to co-design courses using OER/P alongside established pedagogical frameworks like Understanding by Design (UbD) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

This investment in teacher expertise directly contributes to SDG Target 4.c, which calls for increasing the supply of qualified teachers through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, and is equally relevant for enhancing teacher quality everywhere.

3.2 Systemic Redesign for Future-Ready Education

Achieving a flexible, future-ready learning environment required a comprehensive redesign of the educational system. This systemic change was necessary to support the systematic adoption of OER/P. Key areas of transformation included:

• Time Utilization
• Space Design
• Student Scheduling
• Budgeting Priorities
• Professional Development Models
• Assessment and Instruction Methodologies

These systemic shifts enabled the expansion of student choice in learning modalities (brick-and-mortar, blended, and fully online), granting students greater flexibility and ownership over their education. This approach builds critical skills for a digital future, directly aligning with SDG Target 4.4, which aims to substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs, and entrepreneurship.

SDGs Addressed in the Article

The article on Open Educational Resources/Practices (OER/P) primarily addresses issues related to providing accessible, equitable, and high-quality education. It also touches upon the importance of teacher development, reducing inequalities, and fostering partnerships. Based on this, the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are relevant:

• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Specific Targets Identified

Based on the content of the article, several specific targets under the identified SDGs can be pinpointed. The article’s focus on free access, teacher training, and collaborative resource sharing directly aligns with these global objectives.

SDG 4: Quality Education

1. Target 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education.
   • Explanation: The article directly supports this target by promoting OER, which UNESCO defines as permitting “no-cost access.” This removes financial barriers to educational materials. The emphasis on adapting OER to “make the materials better for their students” and connect with “what students care about” addresses the “quality” and “equitable” aspects of education.
2. Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
   • Explanation: The article mentions that providing students with flexible learning options and ownership helps them “build skills for an ever-evolving digital future,” which is crucial for modern employment and entrepreneurship.
3. Target 4.c: By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers…
   • Explanation: A key success factor mentioned is the strategic shift of investments “from textbooks to teachers.” The article highlights strengthening “professional learning in curriculum and instructional design” and creating “collaborative spaces where educators could co-design ‘blueprint’ courses,” which directly contributes to increasing the capacity and qualifications of teachers.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

1. Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all…
   • Explanation: By providing educational resources at “no-cost,” OER helps reduce the economic inequality between students who can afford expensive textbooks and those who cannot. The article also notes the availability of OER for “teaching multilingual learners,” demonstrating how these resources can be adapted to promote the inclusion of diverse student populations.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

1. Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships…
   • Explanation: The implementation of OER/P as described in the article is built on partnerships. It mentions school districts (Garnet Valley and Centennial) participating in initiatives like “GoOpen” and leveraging resources from various organizations like “OER Commons,” “OpenSciEd,” and “PBLWorks.” This collaboration between public school systems and civil society organizations is a clear example of this target in action.

Indicators for Measuring Progress

The article mentions or implies several quantitative and qualitative indicators that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets.

SDG 4: Quality Education

• Indicator: The proportion of teachers using OER.
  • Evidence: The article explicitly states that “nationally about one-third of teachers are now using OER as required or supplemental materials.” This is a direct quantitative indicator of adoption.
• Indicator: Financial resources reallocated from commercial materials to teacher development.
  • Evidence: The article mentions that districts were “spending over half a million dollars annually on instructional materials” and made a “strategic pivot” to invest in teachers instead. This financial shift is a measurable indicator of changing priorities.
• Indicator: The availability and use of high-quality, full-curriculum OER options.
  • Evidence: The article lists several high-quality OER providers, such as “CommonLit, Illustrative Mathematics, OpenSciEd, and Open Up Resources,” indicating a growing ecosystem of reliable materials.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• Indicator: Availability of OER adapted for diverse learners.
  • Evidence: The article points to the existence of “resources for teaching multilingual learners,” which serves as a qualitative indicator for inclusivity.
• Indicator: Increased flexibility and choice in learning modalities.
  • Evidence: The text notes the success in “Expanding student choice in learning modalities—whether brick-and-mortar, blended, or fully online,” which helps accommodate different student needs and circumstances.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• Indicator: The number and activity of multi-stakeholder platforms and initiatives.
  • Evidence: The article names several collaborative entities that support OER, including “GoOpen,” “OER Commons,” “PhET Interactive Simulations,” and “PBLWorks,” which indicates a healthy partnership ecosystem.

Summary of Findings

SDGs	Targets	Indicators
SDG 4: Quality Education	4.1: Ensure free, equitable, and quality education. 4.4: Increase the number of youth and adults with relevant skills for employment. 4.c: Increase the supply of qualified teachers.	– Proportion of teachers using OER (“one-third of teachers”). – Financial resources reallocated from textbooks to teacher professional learning (“over half a million dollars annually”). – Students building “skills for an ever-evolving digital future.” – Investment in “professional learning in curriculum and instructional design.”
SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities	10.2: Empower and promote the social and economic inclusion of all.	– Provision of “no-cost access” to educational materials. – Availability of resources for diverse students, such as “resources for teaching multilingual learners.” – “Expanding student choice in learning modalities.”
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals	17.17: Encourage and promote effective public and civil society partnerships.	– Participation in collaborative initiatives like “GoOpen.” – Use of shared resource platforms like “OER Commons,” “OpenSciEd,” etc.

Source: newamerica.org